Weekly Notes: Sox Sweep Bucs To Drop Overall Franchise Record Under .500, Hernandez Top Pick, ASG/Derby, Fraze Gone & Peggy Back, Another Good Week For Greensboro

• The Bucs met the White Sox for a Yinzerpalooza weekend set at PNC to open a nine-game homestand. The party didn’t get off to a very festive start as Chicago was up, 3-0, before the Bucs came to bat and ran away with the opener, 10-1.
• Despite yesterday’s drubbing, the troops lined up in the early AM to get their Mac Miller bobbleheads; Mac’s mom, Karen, threw out the first pitch. The Bucs jumped out to an early 3-0 lead this time around, but they still lost, 10-4 and the 38,401 sellout fans broke into “Sell the Team” chants a couple times during the night as the club dropped it’s tenth game in 11 tries. Guess the gang is still on break. 
• They went from Mac Miller day to having Wiz Khalifa throwing out the first pitch; no diff. The White Sox homered twice and went up 4-0 before the Bucs got to bat and the beat(down) went on with a 7-2 brooming by the American League’s worst team. It was, btw, the first road sweep by Chicago since 2022 and their first series sweep of the season. It also dropped the Pirates/Alleghenys won-loss record to 10,878-10,879, the first time that the Pirates all-time record has fallen below .500 since 1903. Motown visits next, starting a three-gamer on Monday.

• Paul Skenes started the All-Star game by tossing 14 pitches, fanning a pair, and was up 2-0 when Ketel Marte doubled home a pair in the NL’s half. But much like his Pirates outingss, he didn’t get the decision – after nine frames the Midsummer Classic at Atlanta’s Truist Park, it was 6-6, and decided for the first time by an extra-inning “swing off”, a sort of home run derby. Each squad picked three players, each of whom got three “homer or no count” swings. The Phils Kyle Schwarber went three-for-three, winning both the ASG MVP and the game (7-6 was the official final). Another first was the The Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system — allowing batters, pitchers and catchers to question called balls and strikes. It’s been used in the minors and tried out on the big stage on Tuesday and seemed to work out pretty well as four calls were overturned by the review without much delay. 

Paul Skenes – 2025 photo/Pirates

• Skenes was the first pitcher (four position players have also done it) to start consecutive ASGs in his first two seasons and is one of 10 twirlers to start back-to-back Classics.
• Oneil Cruz took nicely to the bright lights…he banged 21 homers in the first round of the ASG HR Derby, one a 513′ foot launch (A Truist Park record and tied with Aaron Judge as the longest HRD blast not hit in Coors Field), to move on to the semis as the first Bucco in the Derby to get past the first round. It ended for Cruz in the semis, though Oneil bopped 13 more dingers (and 9 of the ten longest homers of the night through the first two rounds) – Cal Raleigh smacked 19 long balls and went on to win it all, out-swatting Junior Caminero. 

MLB Stuff

• Fox Sports selected an All-Time National League Dream Team. and two ol’ Buccos were on it, Hans Wagner and Barry Bonds. A third Pirate, Roberto Clemente, was an honorable mention/second team pick w/Mel Ott & Tony Gwynn.
• DH/1B Rowdy Tellez signed a minor-league deal with Texas on 7/5; they called him up to the big club after the ASG break. 
• MLB has extended the paid leave for current Guardian/ex-Buc RHP Luis Ortiz through August 31 while they continue their gambling investigation.
• RHP Max Kranick, who the Mets claimed from the Bucs in early 2024 after TJ surgery, is back on the IL and due for another major elbow procedure after earning a spot in the NY pen. He’s expected to miss most, if not all, of 2026.
• RHP Tanner Rainey, who the Pirates DFA’ed in June and then declared for free agency, was signed to a minor-league deal by the Tigers.
• RHP Trevor Cahill, 37, who last pitched in MLB for the Pirates in 2021, retired officially after a comeback try in the Atlantic indie leagues fizzled.